On February 3rd 2000, Claire Redfield, the much-lauded protagonist of Resident Evil 2 made her final canonical appearance in Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Since then her appearances have been transient at best, with only sporadic appearances that meekly validate her prominence in the narrative lineage of the series. Her departure and subsequent disappearance has been principally speculative for some time, but Capcom’s refrain in clarifying the specificity of Claire’s discretionary absence from the series, has been reticent to say the least. Upon consulting the Japanese based developer on the volatility of locating Chris Redfield’s younger sibling, a polite representative refused to comment on an ongoing, incredibly confidential investigation. But I am however privileged to disclose to you, the concerned public, that my formal application for an interview to establish the specifics of the investigation, as well as other conjecture that may have led to Claire’s permeating omission has been granted, by Resident Evil 2 compatriot, Leon “S” (I was told to emphasise the “S” for future clarification) Kennedy. WARNING! The following interview was conducted under the careful supervision of fraudulence and are purely spurious conversions between a fictitious character and myself. If you are offended by my portrayal of Leon “S” (very important) Kennedy, then please, consult someone who cares.

Me: So Leon, can you summarise precisely what Capcom are trying to do in terms of locating Claire Redfield?

Leon: Well I can assure fans that every effort is being made to find her safe and well. I can also attest to the expansive search being conducted is meticulously thorough. We’ve checked under every cushion, lifted every seating cover, checked every employees shoes to ascertain her whereabouts, though so far without any success. We even thought we had discovered her a few weeks back lying on the ledge of a window, but it turned out to be a cat!

Me: Oh, uh….OK? How concerned is Claire’s brother Chris over her disappearance?

Leon: Well he currently resides in hospital.

Me: My apologies, I was not aware that the loss of his sister had afflicted him so severely.

Leon: Oh no it hasn’t; after receiving a botched facial augmentation, he was also kept in for to monitor his substance abuse. Notably his steroid dependency.

Me: Oh. Uh, do you believe there is a direct correlation between Claire’s leaving and the way Resident Evil series has regressed?

Leon: What do you mean?

Me: Well, Resident Evil has always emanated a very liberal interpretation of a zombie apocalypse, in terms of an evil corporation being accountable for the pandemic. And there has always been a latency in the narrated parity, with no tangible context to clarify the motivations of the perpetrators. Is this a systemic issue that has hindered the progression of the series to a point where the publisher felt they needed to reflect a more contemporary shooter, with the likes of Call of Duty clearly encroaching on the cinematic’s and game-play in Resident Evil 6?

Leon: Look, I’ll admit that Resident Evil 6 was not where I wanted things to go.

Me: So by your own admission, Resident Evil 6 was an aberration too far?

Leon: No. It was simply rubbish!

Me: Wow, I hadn’t expected you to answer that question with such deft glibness. Do you think Capcom can refine the constituent parameters that made Resident Evil synonymous with survival horror?

Leon: I….I…..don’t know.

Me: If they did, do you believe Claire would return?

Leon: Yeah, I do.

Me: One final thing, this has always bugged me. What motivations can their be for a pharmaceutical company to mutate society into non-complicit cannibals? It can’t be financially lucrative?

Leon: Duh! Their evil. Hence “Resident Evil”.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will be released next year and will star….Oh?……Claire Redfield. Making this entire article even more worthless. Great. I could’ve been getting drunk instead. Well, more so.